In the newly released Essendon Football Club Year Book with James Hird and Scott Lucas feature on the cover of the magazine, McPhee discusses his first season at Windy Hill. Following is an excerpt from the McPhee feature article – “Adam McPhee – Good Career Move.”
""It has been a great relief coming off the year I had at Fremantle last season. To come to a great club with great players and play the amount of games I did and also have some success in the finals. If I had have looked back on that at the start of the year and said I would achieve those goals, I probably would have laughed and said no way. It has been great,"" McPhee said.
After coming to the club last year in the trade that saw Blake Caracella go to Brisbane, Des Headland go to Fremantle and Damian Cupido come to Essendon, McPhee has played every game this season and performed with a maturity beyond his years. Despite the trade being in its infant stages, it is already regarded as one of the best in recent years and being compared to the success of the Paul Barnard and Sean Wellman trade.
“I remember speaking to Adrian Dodoro (recruiting manager) half-way through the 2002 year and I wasn't sure if I wanted to come to Essendon and leave Fremantle. Ever since I have made the move and played for such a great club I haven’t looked back. I have met a lot of new guys and it has been great being in my home state with mum and dad. So I owe a lot to Adrian for convincing me to come over. This season has been one of the most enjoyable years I have had and I would like to continue it.
""I think I did gain a bit of respect this season, but there is still a lot of work to go and if I don't back it up next year and show that I am improving, I will probably lose that respect pretty quick. I am really looking forward to next year and hopefully improving and becoming a better player than what I was this year,"" McPhee said.
McPhee's hardness at the ball caught the eye of a lot of Essendon supporter's this season and his tireless work rate also impressed many. Assistant coach Mark Harvey said McPhee is a committed young player who has a big future with the Bombers if he continues to perform as he did this year. “He has played in a number of positions this season and he is not afraid to put his head over the ball. That all added up to him being the most courageous player this season,” Harvey said.
“I remember we were playing Fremantle at the Dome last season and we were walking out of the three quarter time huddle and I heard this young bloke mouthing off at our players. I looked over and it was Adam. Adam was only 18 or 19 years-old then and there he was giving a mouthful to Hird and Lloyd and these sort of blokes. I remember thinking to myself, I don’t mind the way that kid goes about things,” Harvey said.
To read the remainder of the McPhee article, look out for the Essendon Football Club 2003 Year Book. The Year Book hit shelves in late November and is a must read for all Essendon supporters. The Year Book looks at the season that was, catches up with all the award winners from Crichton Medal night and also pays tribute to retiring premiership players Steve Alessio and Paul Barnard. The Year Book is chock-full of information about your favourite club and players. Click here to find out how to get the Year Book and three editions of the Bomber magazine delivered to your mailbox.
